


Desert Boots

by ninjawrites



Series: Gentron: Legendary Friendships 2019 [4]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alcohol, Country Keith (Voltron), Dancing, Detective Lance (Voltron), Garrison trio, Gen, Platonic Relationships, Post-season 7, Sneaking Out, no underage drinking tho
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-07
Updated: 2019-08-07
Packaged: 2020-08-11 02:49:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20146375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ninjawrites/pseuds/ninjawrites
Summary: Gentron Prompt Day 4: DancingKeith is sneaking out and the others find out exactly where he's spending his Friday nights.





	Desert Boots

“So.” 

Lance gave a smug face as Keith sat opposite him at the Garrison cafeteria table. Keith raised a single eyebrow.

“So…?”

“Where were you last night?”

Keith’s quizzical expression turned into a frown. “Who said I went anywhere?”

“I say. I went to your room last night to ask about some of the paperwork from the meeting, but you weren’t there.”

Keith stared at his plate and stabbed a piece of pancake with a tad more force than necessary. He took a bite, then grimaced at the less than pleasant texture. Hunk seriously need to have a talk with the Garrison chef about upping their cuisine. Since saving the Earth from giant mecha-beasts, the paladins had a little extra pull in the upper ranks of their old military academy.

“I was cleaning my bike.” Keith mumbled between bites, still staring down at his food.

Lance leaned forward on his elbows, interlacing his fingers. “I thought you cleaned your bike last Friday?”

Keith glared. “What is this, an interrogation?”

Lance shrugged. “I don’t know. But if you were cleaning your bike last night, where were you the night before? And if you cleaned it last week, when did you even have time to get it dirty again that quickly hmm? Cause with all the launch prep we’re doing I sure as hell don’t.” 

Keith’s eyes widened slightly before shifting into a death-glare. “Why is it any of your business?” he growled. Before Lance could answer, Keith stood abruptly, tray in hand. “I’m sitting with the MFE’s.”

“Aww come on, Keith? Buddy?” Lance called as Keith crossed the room towards Kinkade and Rivazi. “I’m just messing with you, please come back.”

Keith didn’t turn around.

Lance huffed. “Fine, I guess I’ll just eat here…alone…all by myself…” He mumbled to himself, staring down at his less than appetizing plate of powdered eggs before pushing the plate away with a grimace. 

Keith had been acting strange lately, and Lance couldn’t figure out why. With the exception of five seconds ago, something about him seemed lighter, more upbeat as he went through his day. Lance wasn’t sure if it was the period of relief after saving the planet from the Galra and finally recovering from their injuries, or something else. He supposed it could be the feeling of being home again, but Keith never had as much of a connection to Earth as the rest of them, especially now that he’d found his mother. So that probably wasn’t it. It also didn’t explain why he managed to disappear some nights with no inkling of where he went. He didn’t even take Kosmo with him, which was even stranger.

It wasn’t until Lance caught him whistling in the bathroom the other day that he knew he had to figure out why. 

“Maybe he found a girlfriend?” Hunk supplied later, while they lounged in one of the Garrison common rooms during their lunch break. Pidge typed away on her laptop besides Shiro shuffling paperwork at the nearest table, the two of them too busy not to work during their designated free time.

“Ha!” Both Lance and Pidge simultaneously scoffed at Hunks remark. 

“Or boyfriend.” Shiro lifted a finger, not removing his eyes from his work.

“Right.” Hunk corrected himself. 

“I don’t know, man, maybe I’m just being paranoid?” Lance slumped down in his chair. “But he’s been acting so weird lately! Yesterday I caught him humming at his desk. HUMMING!”

“No, you’re right, there’s definitely something he’s not telling us.” Shiro adjusted his new reading glasses on his face. He glanced up to see the three of them looking at him expectantly. “For the past few weeks I’ve noticed nights where he’s gone, and Kosmo’s the only one in his room. And that dog follows him everywhere. Keith is definitely sneaking out.”

“I knew it!” Lance clenched his fist.

“Have you asked him about it?” Pidge had stopped typing, the discussion now much more interesting than whatever she had been working on.

“I have, multiple times.” Shiro nodded. “A week ago he said he was working on his bike, but I had checked the garage that night. The bike wasn’t even there.” 

Lance leaned forward over the table, eyes wide. “That’s what he told me!” 

“You didn’t say anything?” Hunk asked.

Shiro shrugged, adjusting his glasses and turning back down to his papers. “Keith’s a grown man, he can do what he wants. I didn’t want to pry.”

“That’s it then.” Lance planted his palms on the table, a mischievous but determined look in his eye. “We’ve got a mystery on our hands and Detective Lance is going to solve it. Whose up for a little paladin sleuthing?”

“Calm down Scooby Doo.” Pidge eyed him. “I’m in, but I have to finish these updates first. Let me know when you’ve got a lead and I’ll do what I can.” She leaned back and continued typing on her laptop.

“Me too man.” Hunk echoed. He’d been swamped assisting the Engineering Department with some of their interplanetary designs.

“What about you Shiro?” Lance asked.

“You guys have fun, but I’ve got too much work to do.” Shiro paused. “All I ask, is that you don’t come crying to me when he sics Kosmo on you.”

“Ha ha, very funny.” Lance sat back in his chair and crossed his arms with a huff. “But he won’t catch me. I’m smooth, stealthy. They don’t call me the cool _ninja_ sharpshooter for nothing.”

* * *

To Lance’s disappointment, Keith didn’t sneak out that night, or the next for that matter. In fact, for every night the next week Lance managed to find Keith exactly where he was supposed to be, either working late or chilling with Kosmo in his room, door wide open. He had a feeling Keith had caught on to his shenanigans, as the Blade would eye him carefully from wherever he was.

But Detective Lance was not going to let his clever rival get the best of him. If his theory was correct, tonight was the night he would catch Keith red handed.

Friday night.

Lance was perfectly prepared. Pidge and Hunk met him in his room late that night after standard curfew, all three dressed in civilian clothes, ready for action.

“Is the tracker set?” Lance asked Pidge, who opened her paladin gauntlet underneath her sleeve.

“Placed it this afternoon during the hardware inspection.” She answered, pulling up a video of the garage on the screen as well. “Logged in to the security cameras too.” She perused through various locations before stopping on one with a particularly suspicious Keith.

“There he is!” Hunk said. The three of them watched as Keith snuck down the hall from his room, running silently and narrowly avoiding cadets as he slipped around corners, hiding in the shadows. Pidge switched the cameras as he continued his path, heading towards the garage.

It was then Lance noticed something off.

“Is he wearing–”

“Cowboy boots?” Pidge finished as she zoomed in closer with the camera. “Oh my god he is!”

“Maybe he’s going out to his shack?” Hunk offered. “There were tons of snakes I saw last time we were there.” 

“I’m pretty sure it was destroyed in the aftermath of the battle.” Pidge mentioned. 

Hunk gasped. “Oh my god do you think we stepped on it!” 

Lance suddenly pat Pidge’s shoulder to get her attention and pointed to the screen. “Look he’s getting on his bike.” They watched as Keith adjusted his jacket and goggles, and hopped onto his red hover-bike. The garage door opened, then the paladin flew away into the desert.

They waited for the tracker to cross the Garrison boundary before stepping into gear. “Come on let’s go!” Pidge jumped up and ran out the door, the other two following behind. 

Once in the garage, the three of them hopped onto the other hover-bike (that Shiro may or may not have let them borrow) with Hunk as the driver. Pidge held tightly to Lance’s torso as she watched the tracker display Keith’s path on the screen. 

They followed Keith into the dark desert, the sun having set hours before. Without Pidge as the navigator they would have been lost easily. They could tell how well Keith knew the area, able to carve a smooth path through the canyon to the next town over. Despite the darkness they made sure to keep enough distance between them to stay hidden from view. The flat desert planes had a visibility for miles in the daylight. 

The tracker stopped at a place on the outskirts of town, and they arrived a little over thirty minutes later. They approached a busted up wooden building with neon signs in the window and the name “Cahoot’s” lit brightly overhead. A few people loitered outside, and as they approached they could hear muffled music coming from the building. They parked the hover-bike and strolled up to the entrance in confusion.

“Is this…” Pidge looked up at the sign.

“A bar?” Hunk finished.

“I don’t think this is just any old bar.” Lance said, as a group of people walked past wearing cowboy boots and Stetson’s atop their head. The unmistakable sound of country music blasted from the inside as the bouncer opened the door to let the group step inside. 

“Quiznack.” Pidge said. “How are we gonna get in? You guy’s might pass for 21 but I sure as hell don’t.”

“Maybe if we just act casual and walk past he won’t notice?” Hunk proposed, though he didn’t sound as sure as he should have. 

Lance shrugged. “It’s worth a shot.” He readied himself then sauntered over to the bouncer with Pidge and Hunk following behind. The bouncer’s stature was intimidating, broad shoulders pulling at the buttons on his shirt and eyes pinched in a glare beneath the rim of his ten gallon hat. Lance, who apparently didn’t know what the word ‘casual’ meant, shot him a cocky smile and a pair of finger guns as they passed by. 

At the last second, the bouncer stepped in front of them with a thump of his boots. Pidge internally facepalmed. 

Lance yelped as he collided with the man’s barrel chest, stopping short and causing a minor traffic collision behind him.

“ID’s?” The bouncer lifted a scarred eyebrow.

Lance’s face had lost it’s confidence and was filled with panic. “W-What?”

“I said, ID’s.” 

Lance cleared his throat. “Oh, yeah. Um…well, you see–”

“Sir, I’m afraid this is official Galaxy Garrison business.” Pidge lifted her sleeve and revealed her gauntlet, quickly flashing their ID’s on the holo-screen, just enough that the age’s weren’t quite visible. “We’re Paladins of Voltron, here to check up on a runaway galra spotted in the vicinity.” She pulled up the map with the tracker on her screen, showing the blip within the building. “We won’t be long, just need to ask a few questions.”

The bouncer’s eyes widened, as he uncrossed his arms and stepped aside. “Pardon me, ya’ll go right on ahead.” A hint of bashfulness replaced the intimidating glare, and he tipped his hat. “Thank you for your service, by the way.”

“Appreciate it.” Pidge nodded, strolling forward into the bar as if she owned the place. Lance and Hunk stood frozen in shock for a moment, before shaking themselves out of it following her.

Even then, they weren’t quite prepared for what they would see inside.

“Whoa.” Lance said, stopping in his tracks.

The place was lively and bustling with people. A live band played music from a small stage in the back, complete with banjo’s, guitars and base’s playing upbeat country music through the speakers. A well-stocked bar lined one side of the room, the rest of the perimeter filled with various booths and tables, as well as a few pool tables and dart boards. Bright lights shone down from the ceiling, illuminating the rustic decor. 

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Pidge said.

A large wooden dance floor filled the center, lined to the brim with people stomping their boots, cross stepping and jumping to the beat. Cowboy boots thumped as people twirled and tipped their hats in sync, shouting along to the lyrics of the song. However, that wasn’t what had the three of them gaping.

Right smack in the middle was their target, twirling and tapping his boots in tandem with the rest of the line dancers. 

He kept one hand on his belt, the other gripping the top of the black cowboy hat he wore, a sly smile on his cheeks.

“Holy Quiznak!” Hunk’s face lit up as he lifted his hands to his head. Lance stared with his jaw wide open, pointing like he’d seen a ghost. 

“K-Keith?!” He squawked.

“This…this is amazing!” Hunk exclaimed.

Pidge grabbed each of them by the arm and dragged them away from the dance floor, over to the a deserted corner of the bar. “Guys! You don’t want him to see us do you? Tonight’s just recon, remember?” 

Lance pulled a hand over his face as he stared at the center of the dance floor. “I can’t believe my own eyes.”

“He’s really good!” Hunk seated himself on a bar stool, leaning back against the counter to watch the dance floor. Suddenly, the beat quickened, along with the choreography. Keith kept in time, skillfully matching the steps of those around him, even adding a few flourishes of his own here and there. 

As song came to an end the onlookers applauded, then another slower song began to play. The dancers changed their formation and partnered up, and the three of them watched in amazement as their fearless leader didn’t hesitate to offer his hand to the nearest girl left without a partner. The two joined the circle around the dance floor and began the steps, Keith raising his hand above his partner’s head to twirl her in and out as they followed the flow of the circle.

“Where the hell did he even learn moves that?” Lance furrowed his brow. “It’s not like there’s country line dancing in space.”

“Maybe he learned before?” Hunk replied. “He is from around here anyways.” Beside him, Pidge snapped pictures on her phone. 

“Shiro’s not gonna believe this!” She squealed. 

As the song faded and the dancers slowed to a stop, Keith broke apart politely from his partner with an awkward smile and a nod, then stepped off the dance floor.

“Quick he’s headed straight for us!” 

The three of them turned around, elbows on the counter as Keith stepped up to the bar. The bartender side-eyed them curiously, drying a glass in his hand with a towel, before turning to his newest customer.

“Hey Kogane, the usual?”

Keith set his hat on the counter and ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah, thanks Jed.” He paused for a moment, before the corner of his mouth lifted in a smile. “Oh, and three root-beers for my friends over there too.” 

“Aw Quiznack.” Lance cursed. They’d been caught.

The three turned slowly to see Keith staring at them a few seats down, with an amused look on his face. He gave a little wave, all three of their faces reddening. 

“Hey…Keith…” Hunk waved back awkwardly.

“You do know I’m a Blade right?” Keith lifted an eyebrow before accepting his drink from the bartender and taking a sip. “Cause you guy’s suck at stealth.”

“Oh come on!” Lance threw his arms up in exasperation. “I though we did pretty good.”

“I’m sorry, who invented the lions cloaking capability?” Pidge crossed her arms and lifted an eyebrow. Keith cleared his throat.

“Okay I take that back. You two,” he pointed between Lance and Hunk, “suck at stealth. All three of you though, stick out like sore thumbs here.”

“Friends of yours Kogane?” The bartender, or Jed as Keith had called him, asked while grabbing three root beers from underneath the counter.

“Sadly.” 

Jed narrowed his eyes suspiciously as he handed them their drinks, focusing on Pidge. “Aren’t you a little young to be in here?”

Pidge glared in return while Lance spoke up. “Ahem, excuse you but we are on official Voltron business. Our black paladin here decided he was going to sneak out of a government facility and have fun without us!” Lance poked Keith’s shoulder with a pout.

Keith groaned at the title and dropped his head to the counter in embarrassment, while the bartenders face lit up in surprise.

“Well I’ll be, are you serious? A Paladin of Voltron sittin’ right here in my bar!” He said with a laugh, turning to Keith. He paused for a moment in thought. “Your pa would be proud you know.”

Keith lifted his head slightly, examining the label of his beer as he tilted it with his fingers, as the corner of his lips turned up in a nostalgic smile. 

“Yeah. Yeah he would.”

Hunk took the time to look around at the bar, eyes roaming the decor and bright faces of the dancers as they followed the music. “This was your dad’s bar wasn’t it?”

Keith nodded. “Found a coaster with the name on it along with this hat in the shack wreckage.” He sat up straight and placed the black Stetson back on his head. “Thought I’d look into it.”

“That’s so sweet.” Pidge said, sipping from the bottle of root beer with a swirly straw Jed had placed in it. “Did he used to dance too?” 

“Yeah,” Keith said with a laugh. “Tried to teach me a few times when I was little. Wasn’t that good at it though, kept getting mad at the steps.” 

“Really? Cause you seemed pretty good out there.” Lance shoved his hands in his pockets and leaned against the bar, listening as his friend spoke so fondly. 

“Heh, just practice I guess.” Keith looked out on the floor. “Sentimentality’s a good motivator.”

“His pa frequented this place years ago, one of my best customers.” Jed spoke up. “Till all of a sudden one day he just stopped comin’. Spoke to him in town a lil’ while later an asked him why. Didn’t say much, but he seemed happier, and I was happy for him. Said he met a girl that was quote unquote, ‘out of this world.’” Jed smiled to himself at the memory.

Both Hunk and Keith sprayed out their drinks mid-sip, while Lance and Pidge’s eyes widened. All four paladins stared at each other, before suddenly bursting out in laughter.

“What?” Jeb looked fairly confused. “Did I miss something?”

Keith shook his head, smiling as the laughter died down. “Naw, you’re good. I’m just glad you got to talk to him again before he died.”

“Yeah, me too.” Jed turned to get back to work, before stopping and catching Keith’s glance. “Never did get to meet your ma though. She still around?”

Keith gave a sly smirk and downed the last of his drink. “Yeah.” He set the empty bottle on the counter with a clack and stepped off the barstool. “I’ll bring her along next time.” 

“That would be nice.” At that, the bartender moved to help a few other customers at the other end of the bar.

“No matter how hard I try, I just can’t imagine Krolia line dancing to country music.” Lance said. “On the other hand, I couldn’t imagine Keith either until tonight.” He shook his head. “Man, I still can’t believe you’ve been sneaking out to a country western bar.”

“Well, you don’t have to.” Keith adjusted his hat and grasped Lance by the shoulder. “Because if any of you say anything about this to anyone, including Shiro, _especially_ Shiro, I’m feeding you to the nearest weblum.”

“What! You’re kidding me right?!” Lance groaned.

“Dude, there is no way. This is absolute gold, Keith!” Hunk said.

“My lips are sealed.”

“Thank you Pidge.” Keith said.

“What!” Lance squeaked. “Since when are you cooperative?”

Pidge just shrugged. “I just want to know one thing, Keith, how’d you get in here? I know you’re technically twenty-one with your time in the abyss, but your ID says otherwise.”

“Are you kidding?” Lance gestured to all of the man who stood beside him. “Look at him! He’s over six foot with a gnarly ass scar on his cheek. That sort of thing gets you in anywhere.”

Keith opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, Hunk interrupted. “Uh, guys, I think we have a problem.” He pointed behind them, eyes wide.

Lance and Pidge turned one-eighty degrees to see the club bouncer towering over them, arms crossed with an frightening glare. Both of them stiffened, a slight squeak escaping Lance’s mouth.

“Quiznack.” Pidge mumbled.

The bouncer lifted a phone screen in front of them, the three of their profiles on the Garrison website.

“Paladin’s or not, you three are underage.” 

“Come on, we can discuss this can’t we?” Lance tried to protest. “Keith, come on, help a buddy out here–” 

The three of them turned to see an empty space where Keith had stood only seconds ago. Their eyes darted around, but there was no sign of him anywhere.

“OH COME ON!” Lance lifted his hands. The bartender clasped him on the shoulder to lead him out, but Lance shrugged it off. “Okay fine, we’re going, we’re going.” They walked towards the door, Hunk following behind and muttering apologies to the bouncer as they exited the building.

Back outside under the desert stars, they walked back to the hover-bike.

“I can’t believe we got kicked out of a bar.” Lance crossed his arms and pouted. “We’re hardened war veterans. If anyone deserves a drink it’s us!”

“I bet Coran has some of that nunvil stuff back at the Garrison.” Hunk supplied. Lance only grimaced. 

“Ew no.” He turned to eye Pidge suspiciously. “What’s up with you? You seem oddly content with this.”

Pidge shrugged. “I’m sixteen, alcohol would inhibit my brain cell development, and that is something far too valuable to the universe to waste.” She adjusted her glasses, then suddenly a mischievous look sparkled in her eye. “Besides, I got what I came here for.”

“And what was that?” Hunk asked.

“The intel we needed.”

* * *

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” 

Shiro sat at his desk, watching the video that Pidge played in front of him on the screen. 

“Line dancing? He’s been sneaking out for line dancing?” Shiro adjusted his glasses as he stared at the screen. “He’s good. Really good.”

“Hey Shiro I’ve been meaning for you to look over this–” Keith stepped into Shiro’s office with his tablet, Kosmo following behind. When he noticed the two of them he stopped in his tracks, eyes darting between them. “What are you…” 

Pidge and Shiro stiffened, the video on the screen between them continuing to play the familiar sound of country music.

Keith stared at the screen, until his brows furrowed and he locked eyes with her.

“PidGE!” 

“Uh oh.” She mumbled. A split second later she bolted out of the room, narrowly avoiding Keith’s grasp as she slipped out the doorway. Keith grunted, then sped behind her down the hallway.

“You are so dead!”

“GAh! Curse these short legs.” Shiro heard Pidge’s voice echo down the hallway. 

He turned to look at Kosmo, still seated in the doorway unamused by his human’s antics. The wolf gave a curious tilt of his head and Shiro just shrugged his shoulders. 

“Don’t look at me, you’re in charge of him now.”


End file.
